The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC)'s Chair Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles along with a delegation from CBBC’s leadership team and Member companies, met with Zhu Bing, Director General, Department of Foreign Investment Administration, Ministry of Commerce of China (MofCom), and Liu Minqiang, Director General of the China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA), on Monday, 26 May 2025, in Beijing. This meeting arose following an earlier roundtable amid the 2025 Invest in China event in April, hosted by MofCom in London.  

Director General Zhu Bing and Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles delivered opening remarks. The director general highlighted a recent increase in engagement with British companies, including with Swire, AstraZeneca and Standard Chartered who sent high level delegations to China. He also reiterated the statements made by President Xi Jinping at the meeting with the heads of foreign companies on 28 March thanking foreign companies for making important contributions to China’s economic and social development.  

Sir Sherard shared his positive experience at the meeting in March and expressed thanks to the Chinese placing so much trust in the UK to send their students to be educated there, to invest in the UK, and to buy British brands.

Subsequently, CBBC’s Vice Chair Sir Sebastian Wood also delivered some initial remarks and observed that the British government also seemed committed to the principle – like China – of increasing trade between countries intent on maintaining open trade and investment.  
 

Twelve of the British companies present at the roundtable – all CBBC Members – were then invited by Peter Burnett, Chief Executive of CBBC, to share updates and feedback with the MofCom officials. The company representatives raised challenges they face relating to a wide range of issues, including export controls, tariffs, licensing policies, data transfer, product testing and understanding investment channels to name a few. Many expressed a keenness to increase communication with MofCom and thanked MofCom for prior support on specific trade issues and investment projects. 

Director General Zhu Bing thanked the companies for sharing and acknowledged receipt of their concerns. He then invited district officials from Xicheng, Haidian and Chaoyang to give speeches highlighting the development of each of these Beijing districts and showcasing their preferential foreign-facing policies. Liu Minqiang, Director General of the China Investment Promotion Agency (CIPA) under MofCom spoke after them. He celebrated CIPA and CBBC’s longstanding history and delivered invites to everyone present to the 25th China International Fair for Investment & Trade to be held in Xiamen in September. The United Kingdom will serve as the Guest Country of Honour.  

Finally, Sir Sherard and Director General Zhu Bing gave their closing remarks. Sir Sherard thanked Director General Liu Minqiang and MofCom for selecting the UK as Guest Country of Honour at the upcoming investment and trade fair. The director general emphasised that MofCom will adopt a cross-government approach to work on the issues raised by the CBBC Members and urged them to reach out to the special taskforce the moment they encounter issues.